I like the gas milege but lower hp?, hard to find gas?, and especially no standard 6 speed - which brings me back to my 240Z memories...

Am I wrong? If not what about 335i vs m3?

Jack

The gas mileage is great and all, but the lack of a 6-speed option is an absolute buzzkill and dealbreaker in my eyes.
But remember, just because it's got less horsepower doesn't mean it's any slower. It's got heaps of torque. The diesel in by no means slow. Diesel isn't hard to find at all, but I guess that depends on whether you live near a city or all the way out in the middle-of-nowhere, in which case you probably wouldn't be driving a Bimmer anyway as there aren't any dealers "out there".

Lack of a manual trans is a big deal for me too. That is my major hang up with the 335d. Unfortunately BMW doesn't offer a manual in this car anywhere in the world. Probably a sign of things to come. I wish they would send over the 330d with a manual. A little less torque, but still a lot!

I just think it is a great car, but I am also a diesel fan. Grew up in them. My dad still has my grandfathers 67 Mercedes Benz diesel. It will be mine some day.

Buying Diesel is generally not a problem as Botond said. In college I had a Diesel VW, only once did I have trouble finding Diesel in the back woods of Georgia coming home from spring break. I had to put a gallon of Kerosene in it to get me to a station that sold Diesel.

For around town driving and all, the torque of the diesel I'm sure would be interesting. In terms of all out acceleration however, it only produces a max of 265hp or a bit more than the E90 330i (255hp) while weighing a LOT more. Car and Driver's acceleration times show a 0-60mph sprint of 5.7 seconds for the 335d and 5.6 seconds for the E90 330i (with 6MT) which btw is also the same time C&D had for the E46 330i ZHP with 6MT.

So an all-out sprint from a standstill about matches the 335d with the normally aspirated E90 330i / E46 ZHP. Hence the 335d is significantly slower than the 335i (C&D 4.8 sec to 60mph). However the 335d driving experience is dramatically different than the N/A 330i with the right off idle monster torque of the diesel. In the end though it's power x gearing that matters along with weight....the diesel's greater "area under the power curve" advantage over the 330i is given up in it weighing more than 3,800 lbs!

Aaaaaaaand here's another 0-60 debate. lol
0-60 times are completely irrelevant because their testing conditions aren't realistic, or not relative to everyday driving. You won't always be getting the fastest time. Significantly faster would be 5.6 seconds vs. 8, for example.

And not only that, but the 4.8 time as I said is under ideal conditions, which occurs maybe 10% of the time? I'm willing to bet most people get 0-60 in the 5's with a 335i. Taking into account the inaccuracy of the speedometer, I count about 5-5.25 seconds in most of the 0-60 launches that I see on YouTube.

Aaaaaaaand here's another 0-60 debate. lol
0-60 times are completely irrelevant because their testing conditions aren't realistic, or not relative to everyday driving. You won't always be getting the fastest time. Significantly faster would be 5.6 seconds vs. 8, for example.

And not only that, but the 4.8 time as I said is under ideal conditions, which occurs maybe 10% of the time? I'm willing to bet most people get 0-60 in the 5's with a 335i.

It's a valid comparison when you use the same source for data. If you don't like that then perhaps you'd care to use 1/4 mile trap speed. The trap speed is a profoundly robust measurement of power to weight ratio as you will easily find.

Trap speed doesn't matter in real life either.
He's looking to buy a car to drive every day, not a car to race. lol

Racing wasn't the point of the posts. The point was to describe the acceleration potential of the 335d versus other cars -- reread my first post on this subject. Someone made the comment that the 335d "wasn't slow", which of course it is not by any means, and I simply provided some factual data to show how "fast" the 335d was compared to other similar cars. Of course if one ignores all the data it actually is hard to compare them I guess.

yet! just do it- u won't regret it! i think the nav will automatically direct u to the nearest track- it's meant to be there. and w/ VIR so close, u gotta do it!!! a fellow houston cca crazy, dan, raves about VIR. i wanna go there just from his amazing description of the place!

Both cars will be a hoot to drive. However, if you track, I would say M3. I think the M3 is more of a high RPM delight and it does go back to what BMW was doing before forced induction came around. The v8 is a motor that loves to rev and that is where I think you will get the most driving delight. The 335i is more of a low-mid rpm delight as its torque peak is at 1400 rpm. This is something your more likely to notice in town when moving from a stop or passing other cars. It really depends on which of those characteristics you would like to have. The 335i's power peaks at 5900 (provided it is stock vs the M3's peak of 8300 rpm). It depends on your personality and what you'd like. Personally(just an opinion), I would get the 335i (I can speak to this because I owned one and didn't regret it (sold it because circumstances dictated the need for a different type of car)). It got decent mileage and had a lot of punch. Got 0 to 60s in the low 5s (I didn't do anything aggressive to launch my car to get the upper 4s). It was a marvel to drive in town and handled very nicely. The M3 will runaway from the 335i but this is at speeds that should only be attained on the track or the autobahn. As for durability, these a relatively new engines so I am curious to see how durable they are. I would like to see how the fuel pump/cooling issues on the 335 affect long term durability. As for the M3, I suspect any M-engined car requires meticulous maintenance.
As for buying the M-sport package, cannot say that anyone would give you grief. It is your car, personalize it as you see fit. Tough choice- comes down to what kind of personality you'd like the car to have. I would pocket the difference for a rainy day. I considered my 335i as my mid-life crisis car, but I was 31 when I got it. You can also choose to use some of the price difference to add Dinan mods to your car if you want to move it closer to an M3. I think the idea of a 335i clicking heels with an M3 sounds like fun. Some may argue that if you wanted that, then buy the M3.

Get a 135i. I bought one over an M3 and have not regretted it one bit. Its got tons of torque, is a lot lighter, and is as fast as just about anything on the road and all while getting 30 mph. I also got mine exactly like I wanted for about $30,000 LESS than the M3 that was sitting in the showroom right next to it.

Get a 135i. I bought one over an M3 and have not regretted it one bit. Its got tons of torque, is a lot lighter, and is as fast as just about anything on the road and all while getting 30 mph. I also got mine exactly like I wanted for about $30,000 LESS than the M3 that was sitting in the showroom right next to it.

There is no comparing a 135i to an M3. They are two different cars in different classes. The M3 is better in every way, except for fuel economy, which is why it costs so much. 135i is an excellent car, but it still isn't an M3.

There is no comparing a 135i to an M3. They are two different cars in different classes. The M3 is better in every way, except for fuel economy, which is why it costs so much. 135i is an excellent car, but it still isn't an M3.

Awsome.. Thank you! Overwelming response which is highly favorable on the m3. Now if I only have the guts to pull the triggger -in two weeks... Gas milege is awful, a muscle car, and $12K more. Jeez. This is keeping me awake nights! ( I'm just a working guy who's best car was a 240Z in 1979. ) Nothing but kids and mortgages since. NOW.. it's my turn. The $65K +- is a stretch but possible.

i'm not really a track guy ( but could be if I pick up a new hobby..) Virginia International Raceway (VIR) is a only an hour a way! but I only drive 10,000 miles a year. I love to drive but I'm in the city/expressway. Should I go for the m3 sedan with space grey, black novillo leather, carbon leather trim, technology, premium, fold downs, nav, and smartphone,?

I think I want you to talk me into it. Is this a car to keep for 10 years versus the 335i a turn in at year 3?

JackK

Thanks to all. I took most of your advice and went with the M3. '06, not an '09, with 15K miles and $36K cash price, convertible black on black. I LOVE the car and am so happy I bought an M. A little rough on the pavement but the f'in thing is so fun to drive who cares. My wife hates it ... but I keep telling her it's NOT a girlfriend, "only" an M.